Pipe coating machine



Oct. 10, 1939. H R 2,175,392

PIPE COATING MACHINE Filed Sept. 6, 19-38 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 are R 5 Henry INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Oct. 10, 1939;

R. E. HENRY 2,175,392

PIPE COATING MACHINE Filed Sept. 6, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q iv I b i m 5 a \l U 2 t &

8K: 6 N gnaw b Q5 g Q a If I "a I 421s Hen/y INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY;

0d. 10, 1939 R E RY 2,175,392

PIPE COATING MACHINE Filed Sept. 6, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A 5. Henry INVENIOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to pipe coating machines and particularly to a machine for applying coating materials such as paint, enamel or asphaltic compositions to pipe while the machine is moved along the pipe.

A principal object is to provide a machine of the character described which will be comparatively light, simply constructed and easy to operate.

Another object is to provide a machine of the character described which will evenly and rapidly apply the coating composition to all surfaces of the pipe, and without waste of the composition.

Still another object is to provide means for continuously drying the coating composition as it is applied to the pipe to provide a finished coating of improved smoothness and uniformity.

With the above and other objects in view this invention relates to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangementof parts. an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

wherein: I

Figure 1 is a front-end elevation showing the machine mounted on a pipe line to be coated.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the machine mounted on a pipe line and having a portion of the coating mechanism in non-operative position.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the container for coating material, and

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate details of the structure of the machine.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like numerals .of reference designate similar parts in each of the figures, the numeral l2 represents a tank adapted to contain a supply of pipe coating composition, such as paint, enamel or asphaltic composition. Tank I2 is mounted on a carriage iZa which is preferably constructed of angle iron and is shaped in outline to snugly receive the tank i2. A pair of axles 19 extend transversely beneath carriage I24: and tank l2 and the ends of the axles are journalled in journals 23 which depend from carriage l2a and are rigidly attached thereto. A pair of wheels 20 are mounted on each axle l9 and positioned thereon to span a pipe P which is to be coated. The peripheral edges of wheels 20 are chamfered to provide better contact with pipe P and to prevent slipping of the machine from the pipe, which also serves as a trackway for the machine. The medial portions of axles I! are threaded and each of wheels 20 is provided with an adjusting nut 2| and a lock nut 22 whereby the position of the wheels along the axles may be adjusted to fit different sized pipes.

The top of tank I2 is provided with a cover, a portion of which is hinged at 8 and provided with a handle 9 whereby the tank may be opened for filling same with the particular coating composition to be used. The bottom of tank I2 is provided, at a point near its rearward end and substantially centrally thereof, with an outlet pipe 24 which is connected by means of a nipple 25 to a spreader nozzle 26, the mouth of which is flattened and curved to provide a narrow arcuate opening extending transversely of the upper surface of pipe P whereby coating composition from tank l2 may be distributed more or less evenly over the upper surface of the pipe. The outlet pipe 24 is opened and closed by means of a valve l0 affixed to an elongated shaft which slides through a guide ll positioned within tank l2 and extends through the top of the tank through a stufling box I. A yoke 6 is provided at the upper end of the valve stem to which an operating lever 2 is hingedly attached by means of a pivot pin I. Lever 2 is pivoted by means of a second pivot I at an intermediate point to a hinged support 3 which is hingedly connected to a U-shaped support 4 by means of a pivot 5, and extends upwardly from the cover of tank l2. This pivoted arrangement of operating lever 2 provides means for obtaining a finer degree of adjustment of valve l0 and thus provides means for closely regulating the flow of coating material to nozzle 26. A pair of bars I! extend transversely across the front and rear ends of tank I2 near the top thereof and are rigidly attached thereto. The ends of bars I! extend laterally beyond the sides of the tank and are fitted with rubber or other composition handles l8. By means of handles I8, workmen are enabled to push the tank and carriage and the other equipment longitudinally along the pipe as the work progresses.

The side members of carriage l2a extend rearwardly of tank l2 to form an extended portion 34a on which is mounted a motor base 49-53 which supports a motor 55, and a fuel tank,45 therefor. shelf 46 carried by a post 41 extending upwardly from base member 49. An angle brace-48 extends from post 41 to the lower side of shelf 46 to strengthen this support for the fuel tank.

The rearwardly extending portion 34a of carriage |2a also supports the mechanism for spreading and applying the coating composition to the The fuel tank 45 is positioned on a. r

bottom and side surfaces of pipe P. This mechanism comprises a wiper 28 which is preferably constructed of corrugated metal or similar corrugated material which is formed in the shape of a curved trough which fits more or less snugly the bottom and sides of the pipe. The corrugations are preferably at right angles to the axis of the pipe P. The upper longitudinal edges 21 of the wiper are flared outwardly at an angle from the sides of the pipe P. The wiper is supported from the carriage 12a by means of a pair of elongated angle iron rails 34 which extend rearwardly from carriage l2a on opposite sides of pipe P and are pivotally connected to the extensions 34a of the side members of carriage 12a by means of pivots 66. Springs 23, attached to the ends of each of edges 21 of the wiper 28, are attached to the respective rails 34 bymeans of lugs 30, thus providing a yieldable suspension means for the wiper 28. A curved brace 64 extending above pipe P connects rails 34 together and provides a stop means to limit the downward movement of the rails 34 and wiper 28 when the latter is moved out of wiping contact with the pipes. The rails 34 are raised and lowered for moving the wiper 28 into and out of contact with pipe P by means of a lever 50 which depresses and elevates curved toggles 52, one end of which is pivotally-attached to one of the rails 34 by means of a pivot 5| and the other end pivoted in slots provided in the free ends of curved braces 55, the opposite ends of which are fixedly attached to the side members of carriage iZa.

To vibrate wiper 28 longitudinally of pipe P, a vibrator yoke 33 is provided. The arms of yoke 33 extend downwardly on opposite sides of pipe P and are pivoted by means of pivots lit? at approximately their mid-points in bearings 3i attached to rails 3d. The free ends of the yoke arms move in longitudinal slots provided in ears 35 positioned along the respective edges 27! of wiper 28. Thus, a longitudinal reciprocation of the upper portion of yoke 33 will reciprocate wiper 28 longitudinally of pipe P. A toggle 53 is connected at one end to yoke 33 and the free end hinged by a pin 62 to a connecting rod 6| which is connected by an eccentric bearing to a shaft 50 which extends transversely of carriage Ila and has its opposite ends tjournalled in the extended portion 340. One end of shaft extends laterally *beyond carriage 12a and has a freerunning pulley 36 mounted thereon which is beltor chain-connected to a drive pulley 38 mounted on the end of the crank shaft of motor 55. An outboard clutch 31 is mounted on the end of shaft 80 and is adapted to be moved into engagement with pulley 36 to provide means for transmitting the power from motor 55 to shaft 60. A clutch arm 39 guided in a guide member 4|] is operated to shift clutch plate 31 by means of a clutch lever 43 supported in bearings 44, which actuates arm 39 through the medium of a spring 42 which is compressed and expanded between spring stops 4!.

Motor 55 is preferably an internal combustion engine from which the exhaust gases are vented, under pressure of the exhaust, through a flexible pipe 54 which connects to one arm of a T-fitting 56, hingedly supported from one of the side rails 34 by means of a hinge 68. The opposite arm of the T is closed. by a plug 59. A slotted vent pipe 51 curved to closely fit the lower and side surface of pipe P is connected at one end into the intermediate branch of T-fitting 56 and has its other end closed and suspended from the opposite side rail 34 by means of a spring clip 53. Pipe 51 is preferably positioned about pipe P at a point slightly beyond the rearward end of wiper 28.

To prevent over balancing of the machine and tipping sideways of the pipe, a counterbalance IE, such as aheavy metal weight, is suspended beneath the pipe P from the forward end of carriage In by means of a pair of hangers l4 which extend upwardly from counterbalance IS on opposite sides of pipe P and are connected at their upper ends to tubes I5 which are slidably and removably mounted on a pair of cylindrical arms l3 which are rigidly connected to the side members of carriage i211 and extend forwardly therefrom in front of tank i2. This manner of connecting the counterbalance IE to the remainder .of the machine provides a simple arrangement for attaching or detaching the counterbalance as required. 7

The foregoing described apparatus is utilized in the following manner in coating pipe with suitable coating composition:

A supply of a suitable coating composition, such as asphaltic materials commonly used for coating pipe, is introduced into tank l2, preferably in heated condition, to permit easy flow and spreading of the material. Wiper 2B is pulled into position to snugly fit about the bottom andlower side surfaces as shown in Fig. 3, by raising lever 53 to the position shown in dotted outline in Fig. 2. Springs 23 yieldably retain the wiper 28 in close contact with pipe P while permitting free longitudinal movement and vertical deflection of the wiper relative to the pipe.

Motor 55 is started and clutch 3-1 thrown into engagement with pulley 36 whereby shaft 6!] is rotated to thereby reciprocate vibrating yoke 33 which in turn reciprocates wiper 2i longitudinal- 1y of pipe P. Valve i0 is opened and adjusted to allow the desired quantity of the coating cornposition to flow through spreader nozzle 26 into the top and upper side surfaces of the pipe P. The excess coating material which flows down the sides of the pipe is caught in the troughs of the corrugations of wiper 28, and the longitudinal vibrations of the wiper dashes the composition against the lower surfaces of the pipe on which it is evenly spread by the rubbing contact of the ridges of the corrugations. More uniform distribution of the coating material is thus obtained due to the fact that the material collects in a series of pools in the corrugations and provides an ample supply of material to be evenly spread by the ridges. Even though the vibration of wiper 28 is longitudinally of the pipe, the pools of liquid contained in the corrugations will also tend to surge along the corrugations transversely of the pipe and so improve the uniformity of its application to the pipe, and the wiping action of the ridges of the wiper will continuously remove excess material from the pipe surfaces.

To hasten the drying of the coating and to aid in preventing the formation of :icicles of material on the bottom of the pipe, the exhaust gases from motor 55 are discharged through pipe 54 and against the coated surface of the pipe through the slots in pipe 51. Instead of using exhaust gases, compressed air may be used, and

motor 55 may be a compressed air motor instead of an internal combustion engine.

The machine is moved along the pipe as the coating is applied. The movement may be accomplished mechanically by gearing axles 19 to the power shaft of motor 55. In any case, by the arrangement described, a uniformly distributed coating may be applied to the pipe rapidly and continuously as the machine moves along the pipe line.

When the work is completed, or it is desired to interrupt it for any reason, the wiper assembly may lowered out of contact with the pipe by moving lever to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, valve In being closed in the meantime to halt the flow of coating material onto the pipe.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that this invention provides a compact and efficient pipe coating machine, the overall weight of which is approximately '75 pounds fora standard-sized model, and which is easy to construct and operate and which is adapted to continuously apply asmooth and uniform coating to pipe lines without loss or waste of the coating composition.

The corrugated form of wiper 28 is an im-v portant element of the machine in providing the means for accomplishing the uniform and economical distribution of the coating composition over thepipe surfaces.

Various modifications and alterations may be made in the size, form and arrangement of details of this invention without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising, a carriage supported by rollers on a pipe and adapted to be moved longitudinally of said pipe, a tank mounted on said carriage and adapted to contain material with which the pipe is to be coated, a wiper member supported from said carriage beneath said pipe and normally maintained in yieldable contact with the bottom and side surfaces of said pipe, means supported bysaid carriage and adapted to reciprocate said wiper member longitudinally of said pipe while in contact therewith and means connected to said tank for discharging said material over the upper surfaces of said pipe.

2. A device of the character described comprising, a carriage supported by rollers on a pipe and adapted to be moved longitudinally of said pipe, a tank mounted on said carriage and adapt-,

ed to contain material with which the pipe is coated, a wiper member supported from said carriage beneath said pipe and normally maintained in yieldable contact with the bottom and side surfaces of said pipe, said wiper member having a plurality of corrugations extending transversely of said pipe, meanssupported by said carriage and adapted to reciprocate said wiper member longitudinally of said pipe while in contact therewith, and means connected to said tank for discharging said material over the upper surfaces of said pipe.

3. A device of the character described comprising, a carriage supported by rollers on a pipe and adapted to be moved longitudinally of said pipe,a tank mounted on said carriage and adapted to contain material with which the pipe is to be coated, a wiper member supported from said carriage beneath said pipe and normally maintained in yieldable contact with the bottom and side surfaces of said pipe, means supported by said carriage and adapted to reciprocate said wiper member longitudinally of said pipe while in contact therewith, means connected to said tank for discharging said material over the upper surfaces of said pipe and means mounted on said carriage for discharging a gaseous drying medium against the pipe rearwardly of said wiper member.

4. A device of the character described comprising, a carriage supported by rollers on a pipe and adapted to be moved longitudinally of said pipe, a tank mounted on said carriage and adapted to contain material with which the pipe is coated,a wiper member supported from said carriage beneath said Pipe and normally maintained in yieldable contact with the bottom and side surfaces of said pipe, motor driven means supported by said carriage and adapted to'reciprocate said wiper member longitudinally of said pipewhile in contact therewith, means connected to said tank for discharging said material over the upper surfaces of said pipe, Jet means mounted on said carriage and connected to said motor driven means for discharging a gaseous drying medium against'the pipe rearwardly of said wiper member.

5. A device of the character described comprising, a carriage supported by rollers on a pipe and adapted to be moved longitudinally of said pipe, a tank mounted on said carriage and adapted to contain material with which the pipe is coated, a wiper member supported from said carriage and normally maintained in yieldable contact with the bottom and side surfaces of said pipe, said wiper member having a plurality of corrugations extending transversely of said pipe, motor driven means supported by said carriage j and adapted to reciprocate said'wiper member charging a gaseous drying medium against the pipe rearwardly of said wiper member.

6. In a pipe coating machine, the combination of a carriage adapted to travel on a pipe to be coated, a receptacle for coating material mounted on said carriage, means connected to said receptacle for discharging the coating material over the upper surfaces of said pipe, longitudinally reciprocable means for applying coating material to the bottom and side surfaces of the pipe, said means comprising a curved trough member, adapted to fit snugly against-the bottom and side surfaces of said pipe, and having a plurality of corrugations extending transversely of said pipe, resilient means for suspending said trough member from said carriage, and means mounted on said carriage for reciprocating the means for applying said coating material to the pipe.

'1. In a pipe coating machine, the combination of a carriage adapted to travel on a pipe to be coated, a receptacle for coating material mounted on said carriage, a means connected to said receptacle for discharging the coating material over the upper surfaces of said pipe, longitudinally reciprocable trough member having transverse corrugations for applying said coating material to the bottom and side surfaces of the pipe, means for drying the coating material as it is applied by discharging a gaseous drying medium thereagainst, and motor operated means mounted on said carriage for reciprocating said trough member and for supplying said gaseous medium to said drying means. i

8. In a pipe coating machine, the combination of a carriage adapted to travel on a pipe to be coated, a tank for coatingmaterial mounted on said carriage, means connected to said tank for discharging the coating material over the upper surfaces of said pipe, a pair of spaced arms hingedly connected to said carriage on opposite sides of said pipe and extending rearwardly of said tank, means for raising and lowering said arms, a. transversely corrugated wiper member yieldably suspended from said arms and adapted to fit snugly against the bottom and side surfaces of the pipe when said arms are in the raised position, and means mounted on said carriage for reciprocating said wiper member longitudinally of said pipe.

9. In a pipe coating machine, the combination of a carriage adapted to travel on a pipe to be coated, a tank for coating material mounted on said carriage, means connected to said tank for discharging the coating material over the upper surfaces of said pipe, a counterbalance member suspended beneath said pipe from the forward end of said carriage, a transversely corrugated wiper member suspended from said carriage rearwardly of said tank and normally maintained in yieldable contact with the bottom and side surfaces of said pipe, and motor means mounted 10 on said carriage for reciprocating said wiper member longitudinally of said pipe.

REMJMEL E. HENRY. 

